"Murder Was the Case," the latest album by Long Beach rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg continues its reign at No. 1 on the nation's pop chart--despite stiff competition from pop icons such as Madonna, R.E.M. and Gloria Estefan. "Murder" is the soundtrack to an 18-minute film, starring Snoop Doggy Dogg and directed by gangsta rap impresario Dr. Dre, that makes its Los Angeles premiere at 8 p.m. tonight at downtown's Variety Arts Center.

Rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg's debut album, "Doggystyle," sold a spectacular 803,000 copies in its first week, the highest ever for a debut album--and the second most for any album--since SoundScan began its computerized monitoring of sales in 1991. The record is held by Pearl Jam's "Vs.," which sold 950,000 copies its first week in stores last month. Snoop--whose real name is Calvin Broadus--gained notoriety outside rap circles when he was charged in August as an accomplice to murder.

Rap artist Snoop Doggy Dogg and his bodyguard followed, taunted and gunned down a gang member at a Palms park in 1993 and tried to explain away their actions as self-defense, prosecutors told jurors as the rapper's murder trial began Monday. "The prosecution will show that pursuit, pressure and posturing of these two defendants culminated with the death of Philip Woldemariam," Deputy Dist. Atty. Bobby Grace told the eight-man, four-woman panel during opening statements.

The viability of rap music concerts is being questioned again with the news Wednesday that Dr. Dre's highly touted tour has been "indefinitely postponed." The tour--which featured performances by some of the hottest rappers in the business, including Dre's controversial sidekick Snoop Doggy Dogg--was shut down after just seven shows primarily due to promotion problems, sources said Wednesday.

A judge said Friday that lawyers for gangsta rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg and two other men have raised serious issues in their attempt to have murder charges dismissed against their clients and he indicated that he would spend the weekend studying their arguments. Superior Court Judge Paul G. Flynn will issue a ruling Monday on whether the 22-year-old rapper, whose real name is Calvin Broadus, his bodyguard and a friend will stand trial in the August, 1993, death of Philip Woldermariam, 20.

Prosecutors in the Snoop Doggy Dogg trial patched together a case based on a conspiracy of two of the victim's friends to frame the famous rapper and his bodyguard for murder, defense attorneys told jurors in closing arguments Wednesday. Criticizing the testimony of Dushaun Joseph and Jason London, attorney David Kenner told jurors that the two men "conceded and admitted that they had formulated a plot to convict [the defendants] irrespective of the propriety of the evidence."

Last year controversial Long Beach rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg was miffed that his "Doggystyle" album wasn't nominated for best rap album in the Soul Train Awards, and he said so during a tirade backstage at the show. But, according to the award show's guidelines, Snoop just barely missed last year's eligibility deadline. Regardless, this year the voters apparently remembered the ruckus and they did something about it.

You heard about all the allegations of police incompetence in the O.J. Simpson case. Now get ready for Snoop Doggy Dogg. Jury selection in the murder trial of one of the nation's most popular rap singers is set to start today, and defense attorneys for the rapper, his bodyguard and his friend are planning a full-scale attack on the credibility of the Los Angeles Police Department. Even Johnnie L. Cochran Jr.

In a surprise move, the defense in the Snoop Doggy Dogg murder trial rested its case Tuesday after calling only one witness. Outside court, defense attorney Donald Re offered one reason for the decision: "The reason is simple. [Prosecutors] don't have a case, and we saw no reason to prolong this agony." Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Paul G. Flynn adjourned early Tuesday afternoon and ordered the jury back at 1:30 p.m.

Gangsta rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg, whose "Doggystyle" is the nation's hottest-selling album, pleaded not guilty Friday to murder, as did two other men facing the same charge in a Westside shooting last summer. The rapper, whose birth name is Calvin Broadus, stood silent through most of a five-minute hearing before Superior Court Judge Lance Ito. Broadus, free on $1 million bail, would not comment as he left the courthouse with his lawyer, surrounded by bodyguards.